h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi PG

According to yesterday's Radio 4 science prog, the latest animal cognition research suggests that are highly adept at noticing small changes in computer-morphed faces, and they are happier taking food from faces than from faces, even when they get the same food from each.

Doesn't explain why I dreamt last night that the cat gave birth to a large cuddly lamb...

Rich

Funny you should mention the sheep , Ken Bruce was also talking about the research yesterday. Pa-in-law happens to be a non-exec director of BBT who are sponsoring the research so had a good laugh at him yesterday too!

I try never to interperet dreams, that way lies madness .

Got any plans for the weekend? We're off to view a garden in Hambleden this afternoon (part of a local open gardens scheme) where PB has been working very hard on restoring their ponds. We'll be publishing some piccies on the website shortly. We've got three chili plants grownig by our pond now but no flowers yet.

I believe that it is J's birthday on Monday and Catharina's on Wednesday so look out for celebrations


Have a good one whatever you're doing.

PG

Hi PG

Research you might have missed... MRI scans show that teenage brains go through a massive amount of "rewiring" up to the age of about 22, which explains a lot. My sister Lucie is about to have another teenager on her hands in October...

Talking of whom: 12-yr-old nephew entered the new compo on the Cartoon Network, got himself a membership card with a lucky number on it - his number was shown on-screen last Saturday (5th), he rang the station and discovered that he was that week's winner!

So, last Wednesday at 2pm, a whole truckload of American PR people turned up at my sister's house, plus an actress dressed as Dexter from "Dexter's Laboratory," and a tall hairy-legged actor as Dexter's sister Deedee - a banner put up across sister's house advertising the compo, local press & radio, the whole works, so that my nephew could be presented with his prizes when he got home from school, and a few photos taken by the publicity people for a 5-second clip on the network yesterday morning.

Nephew won a TV/DVD, portable CD, skateboard, bike, remote controlled Subaru, Playstation 2, various games, tons of TCN merchandising, etc. And the local branch of NCH got the same too, giving a whole new altruistic angle to a certain satellite TV station.

Radio quote of the week from my nephew, when asked what his classmates thought of him: "They said I was a lucky......person." Apparently you could hear the deejay sweating and praying during the pause.

Excellent news re: chili peppers - in the pot that I sowed early March & kept indoors, two of the flowers have now turned into half-inch-long pointy green things. Never grown peppers before but I take this as a good sign.

Broccoli shoots now planted out, and bedroom windowsill is finally warm enough to germinate pumpkin seeds - hurrah!

Login session almost up - Dusty on the library CD this morning: "Class"

Hope you enjoy the pond!

Hi

Can't wait for tomorrow morning's Radio 4 science prog:

"The Pope's Telescope" - Wednesday 15th, 11am (and probably on "listen again" too...) featuring the Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno - who, it so happens, presented my very favourite radio series of 2003, "The End Of Everything." Discussing the Big Bang & cosmic expansion from the gardens of the Vatican Observatory... very Dan Simmons!

Rich

Hi Perky Pat!

Latest movie news - Will Smith's version of 'I, Robot' is out soon. Strange casting of the year: Dr Susan Calvin played by Bridget Moynahan, the actress best known as Mr Big's leggy model wife in 'Sex And The City'!

Slightly more convincing: Alfred Molina as Doc Octopus in Spider-Man 2.